


you can’t take it with you.

by thychesters



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Librarian Babs, Officer Grayson, dick said ‘yeah i’m here for a book’ and babs said you aren’t but okay’, dickbabs dickbabs dickbabs, no capes au? hmm maybe, was this supposed to stay just a drabble/one shot? yeah but we’ll see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thychesters/pseuds/thychesters
Summary: taking a detour from his usual beat, officer grayson pays a visit to his favorite librarian. barbara may see right through his ruse, but that doesn’t mean she’s entirely opposed.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	you can’t take it with you.

**Author's Note:**

> written due to prompting by [mydarlingfool](https://mydarlingfool.tumblr.com/) and definitely based on [cytosinesktech’s fanart](https://cytosinesketch.tumblr.com/post/168247404808/aaaaand-because-im-trash-something-ancient)
> 
> i’m debating on keeping this up and reusing the title for something else LOL

She’s four hours into her shift when she is, rather rudely, interrupted, and she glances up from the catalogue with a scowl she makes no move to hide. It is not one of malice, but her focus being broken now, and Dick grins back at her from where she peers at him over her glasses. There’s a murmur from the other end of the desk, as there always is when he comes to visit, which she always ignores.

“Officer Grayson,” Barbara says, straightening with the ghost of a smile across her lips and smooths out her skirt. “How can I help you today?”

“Well, Ms. Gordon, I was in the neighborhood; figured I might as well stop by to see how things are here, make sure no one’s causing any trouble for my favorite librarian.” He makes a show of glancing down at her nameplate on the desk, and Barbara raises an eyebrow at him, head shaking only a little and loose hair catching in the frames of her glasses. She catches a sound of bemusement from the other librarian, a woman twice her age who’s seen her fair share of Dick blatantly flirting with Barbara in the middle of her shift. She’s still chuckling to herself when Barbara glances at her from the corner of her eye.

“Everything is just fine, thank you for asking,” she says, and chastises herself for how mechanical it comes across. “I thought they had you walking the beat on the north side, though?”

“I was also looking for a book,” he blurts, completely skirting her question and messing with his sleeves, breaking uniform protocol and rolling them up to his elbows. “On... botany.”

She almost chokes, because that’s so far out of the realm of expectations she had, seeing as the last time Dick tried to show off his proverbial green thumb was when they tried to grow herbs on the windowsill above the kitchen sink, and those lasted all of three days before one dried out and the other got knocked into the disposal. Plus that section is in the far corner of the library. It clicks then, and she sets her catalogue aside, ensuring her co-worker will keep an eye on the front desk as she steps around it.

“Y’know, one of these days you’re going to show up with coffee and I’m going to get in trouble at work for public indecency,” she says, glancing back over her shoulder to grin at him as he falls into step beside her. He struggles to muffle his laugh so as to not draw attention to them, but does not resist the urge to bump her shoulder and she has to bite her lip to hold back her own.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

They get a couple looks as she walks him to the back of the library, but only a few linger—this is Gotham, after all, and a police presence is, unfortunately, not that on uncommon. Most of the high school and college students currently scattered around the main area know him, however, and he gets a couple waves and what they likely think are sly glances as they pass.

“Well, I hope you’re ready to avoid killing some more basil,” Barbara says as they duck into the aisle, his fingertips skimming her elbow.

What he lacks in subtly he makes up for in grace, and Barbara has about four seconds to gather her thoughts and her breath before his arm is winding around her waist and he’s lifting her, lips pressed against hers before she’s even left the ground. The brim of his hat knocks against her forehead, and the arm that isn’t wound around his shoulders reaches for it before it can hit the floor, bumping against the space between his shoulder blades.

He wraps his other arm around her waist and holds her closer, tilting his head, and Barbara decides he can deviate from his new route and come visit her any time he wants. (Provided they don’t get caught like they almost did that one time.) Barbara makes a soft noise in the back of her throat, and Dick sets her down, though not before she can plant a quick to the tip of his nose just for a laugh.

Dick’s arm is still around her as he takes his hat back and she rights her hair, his thumb smoothing across the small of her back above her shirt.

“Didn’t realize you had such an interest in botany,” she says, running a hand through his hair when it’s been ruffled in all the commotion. He smirks at her.

“Oh yeah, big fan. I think we should check this section out more often.”

Barbara laughs and leans back in to kiss him again, placing his hat on his head where he can adjust it. She runs her fingers along his collar, over the nameplate and patches for the GCPD. His transfer to Blüdhaven is still in the works, and while she supports his drive and the notion of him getting out of Gotham and making a name for himself elsewhere, one that is not tied into anyone else’s, there’s still the matter of where they stand. But that is to be revisited later, not right now. Maybe tonight, after—

“So are we still on for dinner tonight?” she asks, fiddling with one of the top buttons of his shirt where he hasn’t gotten it properly. Typically cooking is reserved for her, primarily because where Dick inherited manners and decorum, Alfred’s cooking skills hadn’t been part of the mix and she doesn’t feel like either food poisoning or burnt chicken for dinner (again).

“Only if you don’t critique my mincing skills,” he comes back with, and he sneaks one last quick peck before they’re ducking out of the aisle.

“Oh, I make no promises there,” she says, grinning at him with a hint of teeth. “Watching you work in the kitchen is truly a wow factor in its own right.”

Dick scoffs, though his expression is bemused, and his fingers drag along the length of her forearm as they make it back to the front desk. He flashes a smile at Barbara’s co-worker, eyes crinkling in the corners just so, and she has to hold back one of her own so as not to betray them—it doesn’t work as well as she wishes, clearly, given the look they’re both given.

“Couldn’t find what I was looking for, unfortunately,” Dick says, even going so far as to adjust his hat again, tapping the brim of it. Barbara does not try and does not fail to roll her eyes. For her sake, or maybe both of theirs, at least he does wink when he glances back her way. “Guess I’ll have to come back some other time.”

Barbara offers him a small wave as he leaves, ignoring the snicker from the other librarian, and sits back at her desk. She ducks her head, going back to her catalogue as color creeps up the back of her neck.


End file.
